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Topics: Celebrity, Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais
Rhiannon Ingle
Ricky Gervais is definitely no stranger to some cutting humour.
Whether he's in films, television series, interviews and even award ceremonies - the British comedian certainly does not hold back.
But there was one occasion that it didn't quite go to plan. It all started in 2020 when Ricky Gervais, 61, was hosting the 77th Golden Globes.
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The After Life star has been a familiar face at the Golden Globes, hosting the prestigious event five times.
However, while Gervais usually leaves the audience in stitches with his comedic hosting - one of this jokes did not land quite as well as he'd hoped.
Introducing the joke, the 61-year-old started with: "What can I say about our next two presenters?"
He continued: "The first is an actor, producer and director whose movies have grossed over $3.5 billion at the box office.
"He’s won two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes for his powerful and varied performances, starring in such films as Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Castaway, Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan.
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Gervais concluded the joke with: "The other... is Tim Allen.”
Tim Allen, 69, has been in the limelight for decades with his most notable roles including Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story film franchise alongside Tim Taylor in the popular sitcom Home Improvement.
Allen responded to Gervais' joke, specifically commenting on how it fell "flat", reports Page Six.
The Santa Clause star added: "Perhaps I didn’t get it," but was quick to mention that he "wasn’t the only one" who didn't find the joke funny.
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Recounting the night, Allen revealed: "Tom and I even said [at the time]: ‘I didn’t really get it. It’s like he didn’t finish the joke. It just went flat.’
"Later that night [Gervais] said, ‘It didn’t go so well.’ He kind of apologised," the 69-year-old added.
Still making an effort to praise the jokes that did land on the night, Allen went on to say: "I thought he was pretty sharp. A couple of things made me laugh out loud."
When asked by the Hollywood Reporter if he regretted the joke, Gervais explained that there was "no malice" behind the Golden Globes jab.
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"The joke was him and Tom Hanks. So I came out and said, ‘Our next two presenters, the first has won five Oscars, combined box office of five billion dollars. And the other, Tim Allen.’ Right? It’s a fine joke. I’m teasing Tim Allen."
Gervais continued: "But anyone standing next to Tom Hanks, unless it’s Dustin Hoffman or Robert Redford or Robert De Niro, that could be me. But it happened to be Tim Allen.
He added: "I have nothing against Tim Allen. He’s a good actor. He’s probably a nice bloke."
"So even though there’s no malice and I can justify it comedically and everyone laughed, I didn’t want Tim Allen to think, 'Oh, that was written for me. Why me?' Well, because you were standing next to Tom Hanks," the comedian concluded.